Alzheimer's of Central Alabama

Serving people with Alzheimer’s, caregivers and professionals in central Alabama through education, caregiver services and research grants.

ACA’s Weekly Email, April 11, 2025

Hear the latest on diagnosis and care for people with Alzheimer’s disease with Dr. David Geldmacher, April 13, 3pm, in the chapel at Hunter Street Baptist Church.  A UAB Professor of Neurology, widely respected in the field of memory disorders and Alzheimer’s disease, Dr. Geldmacher is the Warren Family Endowed Chair in Neurology and Director of the Division of Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology in the Department of Neurology at the UAB Heersink School of Medicine. He leads UAB’s Brain Aging and Memory Clinic program, which focuses on the interdisciplinary care of people with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia. 2600 John Hawkins Parkway, Hoover, 35244.

Join ACA’s Junior Board at the Crestline Taco Mama April 14.  Taco Mama will be donating 10% of all sales to fund ACA’s Lindy Harrell Pre-Doctoral Scholars in Alzheimer’s Research at UAB.

How Much Forgetfulness is Too Much? Webinar from BrightFocus Foundation, April 17, noon CT. There has been considerable buzz in the Alzheimer’s world as new medications, diagnostics, and potentially disease-altering treatments have emerged. But Alzheimer’s is a complex, multifactorial disease that is difficult to clearly define and explain. Please join world-renowned neurologist Ronald C. Petersen, MD, PhD, to discuss what we know about Alzheimer’s and how we can better understand what it is – and what it isn’t.  https://www.brightfocus.org/alzheimers/resource-search/zoom-in-on-dementia-alzheimers/register-for-zoom-in-on-dementia-alzheimers/

Support Group Meetings:

Alzheimer’s News:

This year marks Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama’s 28th Garden Art Party, May 3, at Event at Haven.  This is one of our two major annual fundraisers supporting local programs and services benefiting people living with dementia and their families. Every dollar raised will stay in Alabama and provide much needed services like scholarships for respite care and home delivery of Ensure meal supplements and continence care.   Your support is needed by purchasing tickets to attend, donating items to the auction, volunteering or being a sponsor.  Please consider how you can help us keep, or even grow, our vital services to low-income families throughout Alabama. https://alzca.org/gap/

Journey to Diagnosis: Real-Life, Personal Stories of Navigating Cognitive Decline:  Watch Being Patient’s series of real-life, personal experiences of navigating cognitive decline.  Four people courageously share their stories in videos that are about 3-4 minutes each.  https://www.beingpatient.com/journey-to-diagnosis-4-videos/

At least 17 factors contribute to dementia, stroke and late-life depression.  That’s important because more than 55 million people worldwide have dementia, a number expected to nearly triple by 2050. Deaths from strokes may double by the same year, and 10% to 20% of adults experience depression later in life.  While the numbers are striking, there’s a growing body of evidence showing that many of these cases may not be genetically fated, but rather could be delayed or prevented altogether by addressing health factors generally within our control.  Addressing the 17 factors can reduce people’s risk for all three conditions. Those factors are, in no order of importance:  Blood pressure; Body mass index; Kidney disease; Blood sugar; Total cholesterol; Alcohol use; Diet; Hearing loss or impairment; Pain; Physical activity; Purpose in life; Sleep; Smoking; Social engagement; Stress; Cognitive activity during leisure time; Depressive symptoms. https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/04/health/dementia-depression-stroke-17-risk-factors-wellness/index.html

Some neurologists and a consumer watchdog are raising concerns that a direct-to-consumer telehealth platform affiliated with the drug company Eli Lilly — marketed to individuals concerned about memory loss — could lead to misdiagnoses or unnecessary treatment with anti-amyloids.  Lilly, which makes the once-monthly anti-amyloid infusion donanemab (Kisunla), announced in late March that patients would be able to quickly access a neurologist for diagnosis via its telehealth platform, LillyDirect.  The drugmaker said its aim is to “help people experiencing memory and thinking issues to overcome barriers to diagnosis and care.”  Some argue, while telehealth can be useful for follow-up visits or for getting specialist care in remote areas, it is also becoming “a tool for drug companies to essentially sell their drugs directly to consumers.  There’s potential for conflicts of interest because Synapticure, a telehealth and disease management company focused on neurodegenerative diseases, is being supported by Lilly to potentially offer a recommendation for treatment with donanemab.  Drug company/telehealth partnerships, such as LillyDirect, may violate the federal Anti-Kickback Statute. This law prohibits incentives for referrals or arrangements that could encourage clinicians to provide unnecessary or inappropriate care. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/concerns-raised-over-lilly-affiliated-direct-consumer-2025a10008gb

A novel blood test that detects a key biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) could help physicians more accurately determine the presence and track disease progression.  The test measures levels of the protein MTBR-tau243 — microtubule-binding region of tau containing the residue 243 — a biomarker of tau tangles in the brain that may be a more accurate measure of tau pathology than other established biomarkers.  Investigators used the test to successfully distinguish between patients at different stages of AD progression and identify whether cognitive decline was likely due to AD or some other cause. This blood test clearly identifies Alzheimer’s tau tangles, which is our best biomarker measure of Alzheimer’s symptoms and dementia.  In clinical practice right now, we don’t have easy or accessible measures of Alzheimer’s tangles and dementia, and so a tangle blood test like this can provide a much better indication if the symptoms are due to Alzheimer’s and may also help doctors decide which treatments are best for their patients. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/novel-blood-test-could-help-diagnose-track-alzheimers-2025a10008gi

Treatment with a powerful magnet is one of the newest experimental therapies being used to try to turn back the clock on Alzheimer’s disease. The scientific name is repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) — and it’s already been approved in the U.S. to treat drug-resistant depression, OCD, migraines, and cravings for smoking. Now, it’s in trials for Alzheimer’s.  rTMS is a non-invasive form of brain stimulation: Unlike other brain-zapping therapies, like deep brain stimulation, rTMS doesn’t require surgery. Instead, it uses a magnetic coil to zap specific parts of the brain to help reset dysfunctional patterns of brain activity. Sinaptica Therapeutics ran a recent 24-week Phase 2 trial of a personalized rTMS treatment to understand its potential for Alzheimer’s treatment, reporting that they found it was able to stop disease progression in people with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s.  https://www.beingpatient.com/sinaptica-tms-alzheimers-phase-2/

Here are the links to watch LifecareSolutions’ podcast, Aging Uncensored, with host Christy Baynes and ACA Executive Director, Miller Piggott. 

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/aging-uncensored-alzheimers-of-central-alabama/id1769643698

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2eYnkKy7kQ8oD6QS87DGwA?si=480MAgX6QAiwG9Dk1Y1g3Q

Youtube: https://youtu.be/dnr9foiXeHI

GLP-1 Drugs Might Cut Dementia Risk in Half:  Read or watch a 7 minute interview with Dr F. Perry Wilson from the Yale School of Medicine to find out.  It’s quite a thing that we live in an era with the biggest blockbuster weight-loss drugs in history, but honestly that’s not the most interesting thing about the GLP-1 receptor agonists such as Ozempic. Beyond their clear utility in weight loss, we have good data that demonstrate the drugs lead to improvements in rates of heart disease, liver disease, and even all-cause mortality, and intriguing reports of strange off-target effects: a reduction in gambling, drinking, drug use, smoking, and compulsive shopping. It’s honestly hard to find an organ system or self-destructive behavior that GLP-1 drugs don’t seem to improve somehow. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/glp-1-drugs-might-cut-dementia-risk-half-2025a10008bs

More evidence ties glucose-lowering meds to lower dementia risk.  In a retrospective, population-based cohort study, investigators found patients with type 2 diabetes had a significantly lower risk of ADRD when taking GLP-1RAs and SGLT2is compared with other glucose-lowering drugs. In the second study, which evaluated 23 trials of a broader group of participants, researchers found an association between GLP-Ras — but not SGLT2is — and reduced risk of all-cause dementia.  While none of the eligible clinical trials included a specific population with cognitive impairment, findings may have implications for choice of glucose-lowering therapy in patients with diabetes and higher risk of dementia. It is still unclear how glucose-lowering drugs impact different types of dementias and if the effect on dementia involves more than simply lowering blood glucose. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/more-evidence-ties-glucose-lowering-meds-lower-dementia-risk-2025a10008ev

Frequent distressing dreams are linked to faster biologic aging and an increased risk for premature death, independent of traditional risk factors, new research suggested.  Distressing dreams include bad dreams without awakening and/or nightmares with awakening.  An analysis of data from more than four large studies in the United States and the United Kingdom found that experiencing distressing dreams at least once a week was significantly associated with aging at both the cellular level and throughout the body, as well as a threefold increased risk for death before age 70.  Nightmares act as a stressor, negatively affecting the body. Over time, the cumulative effect of frequent bad dreams could lead to the release of cortisol, a stress hormone that may accelerate aging at the cellular level. In addition, disrupted sleep itself is linked to a range of negative outcomes, including a detrimental effect on mental health.  https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/frequent-nightmares-linked-faster-aging-premature-death-2025a10008ea

UAB Arts in Medicine is offering a new weekly music therapy group for memory care patients and their caregivers. The group is free and meets every Wednesday at The Dance Foundation at 10 am, 1715 27th Court South, Homewood.  This group, led by a board-certified music therapist, provides a supportive and joyful environment where music can play a powerful role in enhancing well-being. No Registration Required: Simply show up!  For more info contact: Lauren Edwards at laurenme@uab.edu or Hannah Oakes athannah@rootedmusictherapy.com.

April Webinars from Alabama Lifespan Respite: https://alabamarespite.org/events2/

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